Edmunds Forecasts New-Vehicle Sales Slump in April

Published: 04/26/2017
-
by
Edmunds

EmailPrint

View Full Screen

Automakers will sell 1,431,695 new cars and trucks in the U.S. in April, according to the latest sales forecast from Edmunds. That's a slump of nearly 8 percent from March 2017 and a 4 percent decrease from April 2016.

"The industry has been holding its breath to see if the days of peak sales are over, and while Q1 sales managed to remain stable, we're starting to see the slowdown in 2017 we've been anticipating," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds executive director of industry analysis. "Year-over-year declines in monthly sales may become more typical as the year progresses, but there's no reason to be in panic mode. Historically, car sales are still strong."

Edmunds analysts estimate that 3.6 million used vehicles will be sold in April, compared to 3.4 million in March, a possible indication of growing consumer interest in pre-owned cars and trucks this year.

Edmunds forecasts that all major automakers will see reductions in year-over-year sales in April. The manufacturer with the largest decrease is expected to be Honda, with a drop of 6.7 percent (138,813 sales this month, compared to 148,829 in April of 2016), followed by Ford, with a falloff of 5.8 percent (216,438, down from 229,739 at this time last year), and Hyundai/Kia, with a reduction of 5.1 percent (112,719 sales, compared to 118,721 in April 2016).

According to the Edmunds forecast, Nissan will be the automaker with the lowest year-over-year sales reduction: 0.1 percent (123,714 unit sales, compared to 123,861 in April 2016), essentially flat compared to this time last year.

More insight into recent auto industry trends can be found in the Edmunds Industry Center.